Pro-Life Nurse Suing Family Planning Center That Wouldn't Hire Her

originally posted by: kaylaluv

originally posted by: generik
it's a valid complaint. why can't they hire her to do things like counsel women and other duties that are not contradicted by her beliefs? in reality organisations like this should be required to have people who believe in the right to life working for them especially to counsel woman seeking advice. both sides of the issue should always be equally presented to women on the issue, not just the one side as is done now.

It is NOT a valid complaint. If a company is hiring for a specific position, and that position has a list of specific primary duties -- and an interviewee says that they refuse to complete one of the primary duties, it is that company's right to not hire that person. Period.

that is why i said they should have to have such a position, the fact they do not is the problem. they should be fully representing both sides of the issue fairly which means to have both sides of the issue represented professionally. each person should be consoled separately by people who believe in each side of the debate so that they can reach an informed decision. it should be a requirement for every place like this.

What makes you think they don't already counsel women on all their options?

women who have been to that type of place and later regretting it, who wished they had been given both sides equally. they seem to push abortion as the only real way to deal with an unexpected baby.

originally posted by: generik
that is why i said they should have to have such a position, the fact they do not is the problem.

You don't know that they do not. In fact:

Family Planning: TFHC offers education and health care to men and women (including minors), enabling them to select the reproduction measure that is best for them.

they should be fully representing both sides of the issue fairly which means to have both sides of the issue represented professionally.

There is only one side of the issue. Medical Care. This is not an abortion clinic, it's a Health Center.

Routine Check-Ups • Continued Care: Asthma, Arthritis, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure • Cold, Flu, Sore Throat ,Fever • Immunizations • Well-Woman Exams • Family Planning and Title X • Prenatal and Postpartum Care • Pediatrics • Behavioral Health • Pharmacy: Prescription and OTC Management • Dental

women who have been to that type of place and later regretting it,

It's a doctor's office, not "that type of place"...

Source

This is Hobby Lobby fallout. Expect many more lawsuits like this, demanding companies conform to someone's religious beliefs.

a reply to: generik

Women have many resources to go to in making up their mind -- their doctor, their pastor, their family/friends. You make it sound like they can only get counseling from Planned Parenthood, WHICH by the way, has equal space dedicated to decisions regarding abortion, adopting out, or parenting on their website.

If you are pregnant, you have options. If you are trying to decide if abortion is the right choice for you, you probably have many things to think about. Learning the facts about abortion may help you in making your decision. You may also want to learn more about parenting and adoption.

www.plannedparenthood.org...

What am I missing? Why would she even want this job? How could her conscience allow it?

How many conclusions could even be possibly drawn from this? Maybe just three?

Change things from the inside. Not good enough to get a job anywhere and so willing to sacrifice beliefs. Greed.

originally posted by: ~Lucidity
What am I missing? Why would she even want this job?

I doubt she does. She wants to set precedent and force her religious beliefs to be honored. She just graduated this month and this is her first action. She's a religious activist.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Weird.

Sara Hellwege, a pro-life nurse in Tampa, Florida, is suing Tampa Family Health Centers after not being considered for a job just because she said she would not do that job, on account of it violating her religious beliefs. Crazy, I know.

What the hell? Wonder what slimeball...I mean lawyer got hold of her. This better get thrown out of court.

If she isn't capable of doing the entire job that the center requires, then she shouldn't apply and she shouldn't be hired. Common sense.

This would be like someone from planned parenthood trying to get a job in a Catholic hospital maternity ward so they could pass out late term abortion pamphlets to the mommies-to-be. I'm sure prolife nurse Sara Hellwege wouldn't be in favor of that. She'd tell them to stay away. Likewise, she needs to stay away from the family planning center.

originally posted by: ~Lucidity
Wonder what slimeball...I mean lawyer got hold of her.

It's called the Alliance Defending Freedom. The perfect mixture of politics and religion.

"Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith."

Source

Is “religious freedom” about being free to practice your faith, or just a generic cover story for any and all attempts to try to foist your beliefs on others? In this era of Hobby Lobby vs. Burwell, it’s understandable that many on the right have decided it’s the latter and are eager to start testing the limits of how much leverage the expansive new definition of “religious freedom” gives them to meddle with the private contraception choices of others. Next on the docket: Attempting to force family planning centers to hire nurse-midwives who refuse to let patients plan their families, all in the name of “religious freedom.”

Slate

a reply to: Osiris1953

"Ms. Hellwege is extremely ignorant, or extremely greedy... either way she is an obnoxious human being."

Ignorant-yes, but I don't think that "greedy" is accurate in this case. I am assuming that she is a religious zealot who is seeking to be a Trojan Horse in the enemy camp. The Tampa Family Health Centers are the pawns of Satan, and she feels that it is her role to be Joan of Arc fighting iniquity for the glory of God.
By the way, do you know what Joan of Arc's second most famous triumph was? She drove a sword into the heart of a prostitute.

a reply to: Diderot

Well, a little money won't hurt anything,as long as you're fightin' for God and everything.

Damages to Plaintiff in the amount of $400,000;

www.adfmedia.org...

a reply to: kaylaluv

She wants the $400,000, but she also wants the clinic to return federal funding.

Sara Hellwege, 27, of Atlanta sued Tampa Family Health Centers Inc. and its human resources director, Chad L. Lindsey, seeking damages of $400,000 and the return of federal money paid to the centers this year.

It's unclear how much public funding the health chain received this year, but tax forms filed last year reported nearly $5.8 million in 2012 government grants.

Source

AND, it looks like there's some sort of precedent in place already:

Bowman said the Alliance previously filed three similar cases in other states, all with what he considered positive outcomes. Two targets were medical and nursing programs; the third a hospital.
...
His organization also filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Does this mean that all Jews and Muslims can now sue every single butcher department since they refuse to touch pork due to religious beliefs?

This whole "my religion excuses from this" BS has to stop. NOW....

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Oh no doubt, the ADF definitely has an agenda. They're taking full advantage of the latest "religious freedom" victories. Just sayin' - the nurse can definitely go quite a while on $400,000 before having to look for a job.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
Death and Taxes - Pro-life nurse sues Family Planning Center for not hiring her to not do a job

Sara Hellwege, a pro-life nurse in Tampa, Florida, is suing Tampa Family Health Centers after not being considered for a job just because she said she would not do that job, on account of it violating her religious beliefs. Crazy, I know.

In an email exchange with Chad Lindsey, the human resources director of TFHC, Hellwege was asked about her membership in the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and asked her if her beliefs would prevent her from working there. Hellwege said that while she would be able to “counsel” women about various birth control methods, she would only be able to prescribe barrier methods and sterilization. She then inquired if there were any job openings for antepartum and laborist only.

Mr. Lindsey then informed her that TFHC was a Title X organization, and that there were no jobs currently available that did not require her to prescribe birth control pills. Simple enough.

Or not. Ms. Hellwege is now being represented by the “Alliance Defending Freedom,” who are filing a federal lawsuit on her behalf claiming that she is being discriminated against due to her religious beliefs.

The clinic is a Title X organization which means they provide the full gamut of contraceptive services and counseling. The applicant states that she is a member of AAPLOG and has religious objections to certain birth control methods (emails here).

Seems simple enough, right?

Apparently not since this woman is suing Tampa Family Health Centers for not considering her for a job that she admits she would not be willing to do. It also bears mention that the HR representative states that they do not currently have openings for positions whose duties would not entail a violation of her beliefs.

So why is she suing? Playing the victim?

Shrug. People sue for "discrimination" all of the times based on the flimsiest of excuses. Why should she be any different?

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
AND, it looks like there's some sort of precedent in place already:

Bowman said the Alliance previously filed three similar cases in other states, all with what he considered positive outcomes. Two targets were medical and nursing programs; the third a hospital.
...
His organization also filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services.

I say you, as an atheist, go try to get a job there and then sue when they refuse.

a reply to: NavyDoc

Shrug. People sue for "discrimination" all of the times based on the flimsiest of excuses. Why should she be any different?

So she's not wrong because other people are also wrong?

originally posted by: FlyersFan
If she isn't capable of doing the entire job that the center requires, then she shouldn't apply and she shouldn't be hired. Common sense.

This would be like someone from planned parenthood trying to get a job in a Catholic hospital maternity ward so they could pass out late term abortion pamphlets to the mommies-to-be. I'm sure prolife nurse Sara Hellwege wouldn't be in favor of that. She'd tell them to stay away. Likewise, she needs to stay away from the family planning center.

All true and I agree. However, a lot of people want to have a myriad of "anti-discrimination" laws in place and this is the natural result. Like I always say, if you empower government or the courts to force someone to do what you want them to do, you empower them to force you to do what you don't want to do.

If she was not hired because she was a liberal, there'd be screaming form the rooftops and celebration about the lawsuit.

Unintended consequences. If you are going to force employers to hire people they don't want to because of "social justice" then you open up the arena for some pretty stupid lawsuits.

The correct answer should be, 'Don't want to do the job as I want you to do the job, go look for work somewhere else," regardless of religion, political orientation, sexual orientation, race, creed or whatever.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: NavyDoc

Shrug. People sue for "discrimination" all of the times based on the flimsiest of excuses. Why should she be any different?

So she's not wrong because other people are also wrong?

According to some....two wrongs make a right.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: NavyDoc

Shrug. People sue for "discrimination" all of the times based on the flimsiest of excuses. Why should she be any different?

So she's not wrong because other people are also wrong?

No. What I'm saying is that silliness like this is what you get when you have a whole cottage industry based on suing for discrimination.

Wow, second time in this week I have to use Ron's clip...



If this goes through, I as an atheist should be able to sue all religious and GOP institutions as well even this organization behind this nurse, because I can't work for organization that believes in fairy tales...

Makes sense...